1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system, and in particular to a method and apparatus for processing data in a logically partitioned data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling error logs in a logically partitioned data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
A logical partitioning (LPAR) functionality within a data processing system (platform) allows multiple copies of a single operating system (OS) or multiple heterogeneous operating systems to be simultaneously run on a single data processing system platform. A partition, within which an operating system image runs, is assigned a non-overlapping sub-set of the platform's resources. These platform allocable resources include one or more architecturally distinct processors with their interrupt management area, regions of system memory, and I/O adapter bus slots. The partition's resources are represented by the platform's firmware to the OS image.
Each distinct OS or image of an OS running within the platform are protected from each other such that software errors on one logical partition cannot affect the correct operation of any of the other partitions. This is provided by allocating a disjoint set of platform resources to be directly managed by each OS image and by providing mechanisms for ensuring that the various images cannot control any resources that have not been allocated to it. Furthermore, software errors in the control of an OS's allocated resources are prevented from affecting the resources of any other image. Thus, each image of the OS (or each different OS) directly controls a distinct set of allocable resources within the platform.
In handling errors, an error log is created for each particular error occurring in the LPAR data processing system. Currently, a notification is sent to all of the partitions about all areas. Such a notification is not needed because some errors may pertain to only a particular partition. For example, if a first partition is assigned a first processor and a second partition is assigned a second processor, a processor error in the first processor should be reported only to the first partition. In other cases, an error may be relevant to all of the partitions in an LPAR data processing system. For example, a power supply failure would be one that should be reported to all partitions.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for handling error logs in an LPAR data processing system.